Help me out here spags. A question about candor and honesty.

[LMNO]

You've gotta be able to say, "look, you can try to find a different way to do this when I'm gone, but let me just show you how I did it, because it worked for me," and just shut off the shouldacouldawoulda machine.

[P3nT4gR4m]

LMNO rides the correct assertiveness motorcycle ITT

[The Good Reverend Roger]

You've gotta be able to say, "look, you can try to find a different way to do this when I'm gone, but let me just show you how I did it, because it worked for me," and just shut off the shouldacouldawoulda machine.

Or just ask why the meeting was necessary, since she knows everything, then leave.

It's painfully obvious that this functionary is interested only in how to blame the inevitable failure on RWHN, and isn't particularly skilled at hiding it.

TGRR,
Deals with this shit every day.  EVERY. DAY.

[AFK]

That was the tact I took.  I told her if she can figure out something better, more power to her but that she at least needs to finish this school year with the way I'm doing it to maintain data integrity.  I have another session with her before I leave to show her more details of the data collection piece and I think my Director is going to be there as well.  And she's (my Director) totally in my corner so I think that will help.  

[Shibboleet The Annihilator]

I believe this all depends on what sort of person the director is and what sort of people you work with. You could be brutally honest and the director might decide to axe the whole thing or they might decide to put more resources into the program or find someone with skills comparable to yours. You could lie and make your coworkers/employees look good and they could fuck up and the director could axe them all or decide they need to hire someone to replace you or train their current workers better.

You would know better than us, what sort of person is the director?

What sort of people do you work with? Can any of them step up to the plate?

[AFK]

You've gotta be able to say, "look, you can try to find a different way to do this when I'm gone, but let me just show you how I did it, because it worked for me," and just shut off the shouldacouldawoulda machine.

Or just ask why the meeting was necessary, since she knows everything, then leave.

It's painfully obvious that this functionary is interested only in how to blame the inevitable failure on RWHN, and isn't particularly skilled at hiding it.

TGRR,
Deals with this shit every day.  EVERY. DAY.

Oh, it won't be just me, it will be my predecessor as well.  We probably wasted half an hour talking about him.  And he certainly did have his flaws, but he did a good job overall with the program when he had it.  This person who is taking my responsibilities was one of the two people in the Agency who pretty much wrote the program off at the first hint of trouble from the funders.  Her attitude was "It's done."  "The program is crap. HE ruined it."  I did manage to turn her around quite a bit when I saved the program from the chopping block, but I still think there is some lingering pessimism about how certain aspects of the program were run.  I think I just need to do what I'm supposed to do and really impress upon my Director what needs to be in place when I leave and hope she makes the right decisions.  

[The Good Reverend Roger]

You've gotta be able to say, "look, you can try to find a different way to do this when I'm gone, but let me just show you how I did it, because it worked for me," and just shut off the shouldacouldawoulda machine.

Or just ask why the meeting was necessary, since she knows everything, then leave.

It's painfully obvious that this functionary is interested only in how to blame the inevitable failure on RWHN, and isn't particularly skilled at hiding it.

TGRR,
Deals with this shit every day.  EVERY. DAY.

Oh, it won't be just me, it will be my predecessor as well.  We probably wasted half an hour talking about him.  And he certainly did have his flaws, but he did a good job overall with the program when he had it.  This person who is taking my responsibilities was one of the two people in the Agency who pretty much wrote the program off at the first hint of trouble from the funders.  Her attitude was "It's done."  "The program is crap. HE ruined it."  I did manage to turn her around quite a bit when I saved the program from the chopping block, but I still think there is some lingering pessimism about how certain aspects of the program were run.  I think I just need to do what I'm supposed to do and really impress upon my Director what needs to be in place when I leave and hope she makes the right decisions.  

Won't help.  The director has apparently handed it over to a hack who would rather see these kids fail than to admit she was wrong.

I hate to say it, but it's fucking doomed.

[P3nT4gR4m]

Gotta agree with the good rev on this one. Self fulfilling prophets are rarely ever wrong - they work too hard to ensure it

ETA: Only chance is to cut out the tumour - dunno if that's an option

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Gotta agree with the good rev on this one. Self fulfilling prophets are rarely ever wrong - they work too hard to ensure it

The giveaway was that she spent the whole meeting criticizing technique instead of trying to learn how it works.

She never had any intention of making it work, she's already justifying the failure.  She is emotionally invested in seeing it crash and burn, she just has to find a way to protect her career.

The only thing that can save this is if RWHN can get the director to inextricably link her career to this program.  It's what I'd do.  Shackle her to the bilge pumps, and she's a lot less likely to let the ship sink.

[AFK]

I believe this all depends on what sort of person the director is and what sort of people you work with. You could be brutally honest and the director might decide to axe the whole thing or they might decide to put more resources into the program or find someone with skills comparable to yours. You could lie and make your coworkers/employees look good and they could fuck up and the director could axe them all or decide they need to hire someone to replace you or train their current workers better.

You would know better than us, what sort of person is the director?

What sort of people do you work with? Can any of them step up to the plate?

Unfortunately, it's the funding that is the biggest fly in the ointment.  Being a non-profit, my agency has no ability to hire someone else to pick up some of my responsibilities.  They can only dole it out to whoever is left.  And the reality is, that these two people may be axed anyway come June when the funding that pays the majority of their salaries goes bye-bye.  

Maybe I just need to really start disowning this program faster and wish it the best.  I mean, I have no power over what happens when I exit those doors next Friday.  I can only impart what I've done, what I know works, and leave it to the successor to exercise her judgement.    

[AFK]

Gotta agree with the good rev on this one. Self fulfilling prophets are rarely ever wrong - they work too hard to ensure it

The giveaway was that she spent the whole meeting criticizing technique instead of trying to learn how it works.

She never had any intention of making it work, she's already justifying the failure.  She is emotionally invested in seeing it crash and burn, she just has to find a way to protect her career.

The only thing that can save this is if RWHN can get the director to inextricably link her career to this program.  It's what I'd do.  Shackle her to the bilge pumps, and she's a lot less likely to let the ship sink.

In a way, I think it is.  A lot of the funding cuts we've suffered have targetted my Director's other programs and this is really the one big program that's left.  It's the one, outside of our treatment programs, that really puts us on the map in the state.  That's what I'm banking on.    So if I do an effective job of getting the Director to buy into the "musts" of this program, it has a shot of surviving for a couple more years anyway. 

[P3nT4gR4m]

I believe this all depends on what sort of person the director is and what sort of people you work with. You could be brutally honest and the director might decide to axe the whole thing or they might decide to put more resources into the program or find someone with skills comparable to yours. You could lie and make your coworkers/employees look good and they could fuck up and the director could axe them all or decide they need to hire someone to replace you or train their current workers better.

You would know better than us, what sort of person is the director?

What sort of people do you work with? Can any of them step up to the plate?

Unfortunately, it's the funding that is the biggest fly in the ointment.  Being a non-profit, my agency has no ability to hire someone else to pick up some of my responsibilities.  They can only dole it out to whoever is left.  And the reality is, that these two people may be axed anyway come June when the funding that pays the majority of their salaries goes bye-bye.  

Maybe I just need to really start disowning this program faster and wish it the best.  I mean, I have no power over what happens when I exit those doors next Friday.  I can only impart what I've done, what I know works, and leave it to the successor to exercise her judgement.    

Realising when there's nothing you can do and facing up to it is a good way to avoid ulcers

[Shibboleet The Annihilator]

How did you get funding? Grants?

[LMNO]

If there's any silver lining, if the program goes under, you can use it an an example of your skills.  "They couldn't survive without me, I'm just that good."

[AFK]

I've thought about it some more.  (I gotta do something while I'm not getting any sleep).  I think what I'm going to do is have another sit down with my Director.  And I'm not going to get into any direct discussions of remaining personnel and competencies.  I'm just going to sit down with her and ask her to level with me.  She knows how invested I was with this program, I think she'll be straight with me.  I'm going to ask her what she thinks the prognosis of this program is.  Not necessarily because of me leaving, but just given the economic climate and the general instability in this line of work right now.  Does she think its going to survive?  Why/why not?  This will help me gauge her insights and see where her head is.  If the thinking is this thing isn't going to survive anyway because of funding drying up, then all I really need to be doing is make sure remaining staff have the know-how to finish out this year.  And honestly, I'm starting to get the feeling that is the reality.  The schools just aren't going to have the money to participate next year.  But, I'll see what the Director thinks and then take it from there.